Last Love
by azurepinkish
Summary: After Ella sends her letter to Char saying that she had eloped with an older man, she plans on living without him for the rest of her life. However, this is harder than she expects.
1. The letter

Chapter 1

As soon as Mandy left with the letter, I collapsed to the ground sobbing. When she returned an hour later, I was still in tears.

"What's the matter, dear?" she asked, embracing me in her arms. I told her.

"Did I do the right thing?" I asked.

Mandy sighed.

"Sweet," she said sadly. "You did the right thing. Just like Lady, always hurting herself for others." I heard her voice quiver. I fell into harder sobs when she mentioned Mother. Mandy reached into her pocket.

"Lady, a letter for you."

She handed me a yellow envelope, and I opened it. It was from Father.

_Ella,_

_How you faring? I will be home soon to see you and my beloved Olga. My debts have almost been paid back, and we may be wealthy again. However, I have found a suitor for you. He is extremely wealthy and owns many large estates. He would like to meet you and will be coming with me when I return from my trip. He's promised a handsome dowry. Send my love to dear Olga and her daughters. _

_Your loving Father_

I laughed bitterly after reading Father's message. My letter to Char would come true after all. I would get married to a rich old man and be a wealthy maiden. Then, realization sunk in. Angrily, I tore the paper into tattered bits and threw it to the floor. I ground it under my heel. I would never marry. I would be certain of that.

"What did it say, love?" Mandy had been watching me silently.

"Father found me another suitor," I managed to say, my voice shaking.

"Oh, that Father. You don't deserve to be used by him," Mandy said angrily. I said nothing. Instead, I lay my head on her shoulder as she stroked my rumpled hair soothingly.

--

Father came home the next day. I was in the kitchen helping Mandy prepare lunch. The suitor, Sir Daniel, had come with him.

"Eleanor," Father called out to me when he arrived home.

"My dear Peter!" I heard Mum Olga squeal. I felt ill to the stomach.

Father came into the kitchen. "Eleanor, get out of the kitchen," he whispered anxiously. "What are you wearing, rags?"

Before I could answer yes, he continued.

"Sir Daniel is here to see you in the living room." I stared at him with open defiance.

"I'm not here to see him." I snapped. He stared at me with an expression I couldn't read.

"Eleanor, just get changed. Make yourself presentable."

I was about to reply, but he left. I could hear him speaking to Sir Daniel, praising his accomplishments and bragging about how beautiful I was. Up in my room, I contemplated over wearing a horridly ugly purple dress that Hattie had outgrown and given to me to wear as servants' wear, or a bright yellow dress that was too short for me. I slipped on the purple dress. Without bothering to arrange my hair, I went downstairs.

Father came out of the living room when he heard me coming.

"What in the world are you wearing?" he growled. "Didn't I tell you to make yourself presentable?"

"I did, Father," I said, smiling sweetly.

"Such disobedience," he muttered under his breath as he led me into the living room.

--

"This must be your lovely daughter, Ella," Sir Daniel said, standing up as I walked in with Father. He was not as old as I expected. In fact, he was quite young, around 25 years old. He had a clean face and short brown hair. However, he had an arrogant air to him, and he looked at me smugly. He reached his hand out to mine.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lady Eleanor," he said, with a lofty voice. I nodded at him, but didn't take his hand. His hand hovered between us for a moment, and then he put it down. I had to suppress my smirk. Remembering last time I was under a love spell, I was determined that I would get back at Father for putting the elvish mushrooms in my food.

"Why don't I leave you two here to get acquainted for a while? I'll be right back," said Father. I knew Father was trying to get Sir Daniel and me alone. Daniel nodded at him and glanced in my direction.

"Of course." As soon as Father stepped out, I headed out of the living room.

"Please excuse me," I said. "I have some other matters to attend."

As I neared the door, he stood up.

"Stop right there," he ordered. My feet glued to the ground.

"Is this how you treat your guests? Is this why you haven't been betrothed yet?"

I tried to turn around so I could defend myself, but my feet were glued.

"You don't know the least of it," I said, facing the door, wishing I could move.

"Then come back and apologize" he commanded. I could hear the anger in his voice. Slowly and reluctantly, I walked back to where I had been sitting.

I sat.

"Apologize for your rudeness."

"I apologize," I muttered.

"For?"

"For having you as a guest," I said without thinking.

"Eleanor," he said. "Your father invited me here to discuss our betrothal. I didn't come to be treated with such rudeness. No one has dared to speak to me in this way. Except for a child like you!"

I didn't say anything, and my blood boiled at his sharp words.

--

Sir Daniel spent the next hour talking about himself and his achievements. He had started his business at an extremely early age, and he was one of the richest men in Kyrria. He's only interested in himself, I thought. Nothing like Char. Char was kind. By the end of the next several hours, he had already listed off all the ladies he had rejected and all of the cities he had visited. I sat back dully, not bothering to hide my boredom. However, Sir Daniel kept talking.

Finally, he started to ask me questions, and I worked to answer his questions with the shortest answers possible. Sir Daniel became exasperated.

"Eleanor-"

"Ella," I corrected.

He ignored what I said.

"Eleanor, you seem to dislike me," he said. At least he was smart enough to realize it. I felt pleased.

"But I'll be back tomorrow," he said.

I moaned inwardly, and I didn't reply.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Sir Daniel said, and he left.

--

"How was your meeting with Sir Daniel, sweet?" Mandy asked, as we washed dishes together. I was still wearing the purple dress.

"Awful," I moaned. "He's coming back tomorrow."

"Ella, if you are really unhappy about all these suitors, we can go talk to your father about it. I'll be there with you." I didn't want Mandy involved in my problems.

"No, Mandy, I'm alright," I said, scrubbing my dish forcefully when Sir Daniel's face appeared in my head. "I'll handle this myself." After we finished the dishes, I went up to my room. I opened up my magic book, hoping for something to ease my feelings.

The first several pages contained fairy tales. Then, I found an angrily-written letter. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was written by Char. The handwriting was still neat, but the letter was extremely hastily written. I could sense his fury.

_I've lost nothing. She never was what I thought her, so I've lost nothing. I'm only fortunate, and Kyrria is blessed, that she eloped before my letter reached her._

The letter continued angrily for two pages, and I was in tears again. He had called himself a fool, a dopfe for falling in love with me. He even said an ogre looked kind compared to me. _She is a devilish monster,_ he wrote,_ disguised as a girl but completely black inside, with a black heart. _

My tears flowed down freely. The words bit me, but I knew that it was my fault. He probably felt just as much pain when he read my letter.

"Char, you don't know how much pain I'm in," I whispered. "Please forgive me," I begged to him silently. I turned to the next page, and there were more angry words from him. However, I did not have the heart to read it. I closed the book and threw it to the ground.


	2. A New Side

Chapter 2

Sir Daniel came back the next day before I had even waken up.

"Sir Daniel is here to see you again," Mandy said, shaking me softly.

I pulled my head under my blanket.

"I don't want to see him," I said, my voice muffled.

"Ella, he's waiting for you out there. You can't just leave him waiting out there."

Mandy left, and I continued sleeping under the blanket. After several minutes, I woke back up. I got up groggily, hoping that Sir Daniel had left.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were red and swollen because I had cried myself to sleep. I flushed my face with cold water and looked at myself again. I still looked torn and stressed. I gave up and slipped on a plain brown dress from my wardrobe.

I walked down cautiously, hoping he had left. The stairrails reminded me of Char. It seemed that everything did.

"Ella," Sir Daniel said, bowing as I stepped down from the stairs.

"Sir Daniel," I muttered with disappointment. "Nice to meet you."

Sir Daniel smiled again, with his arrogant smile. It bothered me.

"Do you want to go for a walk with me?"

I thought about it. I didn't want to, but I remembered my rudeness at him yesterday. I felt a little guilty.

I'll go with him, I thought. But I shan't enjoy it.

"I'll go," I replied.

I headed for the door. I noticed he was still standing in the middle of my living room.

"Are you coming?" I asked. He stood there, eyeing me.

"Don't you need to change?"

I shrugged.

"I think this is fine," I told him.

We started out walking, silently.

"So, are you living in Frell now?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Your father told me about you when I asked him about houses in Frell. He even suggested we marry right away."

I laughed to myself. Father really was urgent to save himself from his debts.

"Is something so funny?" Sir Daniel asked.

"Nothing," I told him. "I just thought it was funny that...Father is looking at me as his tool for wealth, not his daughter. What did you think when Father suggested that we marry."

He looked indifferent.

"It's not the first time," he admitted. "I've had numerous marriage proposals from ladies' fathers."

"Stop showing off," I muttered.

He looked at me in surprise. "I'm not! I'm telling the truth."

"Do you treat all the ladies like this? Taking them on walks and talking about your previous ones?"

"No, you're the first." I didn't believe him. He didn't seem to be an honest person. He continued talking about his past, not bothering to see if I was interested or not, because in fact, I was bored. It neared dusk, and he was still talking. I didn't bother to hint my disinterest.

"Tell me something about yourself," he said. I didn't hear him.

"Ella!" I looked at him.

"What?"

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah," I blustered.

"Tell me something about yourself, then. I'll feel foolish if I'm the only one speaking."

I didn't reply. I was adamant about keeping silent, but the command pulled at me.

"I don't plan on getting married," I blurted out. I covered my mouth quickly for saying that.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I looked at him, expecting him to be furious. Instead, he was smiling with amusement.

"What a sure thing to say, for someone so young." I replied nothing in return.

"Tell me something else," he commanded. I hesitated.

"I'm an expert with tongues." He gave an interested look.

"Oh? An expert?"

"Close," I said, blushing at my rash bragging.

"Say something," he said, grinning. I grinned too.

"What language?"

"Ogrese," he challenged. I instantly thought of Char and helping him catch the ogres. My heart thumped with pain at the memory ran through my mind. His handsome face appeared quickly in my mind, and my eyes teared slightly.

"SSyug luhlFFOO," I said. "It means 'You are delicious.'"

He chuckled.

"Oh? Are you going to eat me?"

"liMMoon oFE." Of course. We continued the walk, with me teaching Sir Daniel tidbits of each language and him repeating them atrociously.

"You're terrible at this," I informed him.

"And you don't care if you offend me, do you?" he joked.

I caught him smiling, and I looked away.

"It's getting late," I said, without answering his question. "We should be getting back." He stared up at the sky, and it was nearing nighttime. The sky was a lucscious palette of pinks and oranges.

"It's lovely," he whispered. I nodded, agreeing with him for once. Then, we walked back to my manor in silence.


	3. Friends

Chapter 3

Sir Daniel didn't visit me for several months. Although I was glad, I felt distressed living as a slave in my house with Mum Olga and Hattie. There was no Char to turn to for consolance, and he probably detested me by now. I wondered if Sir Daniel disliked me, too.

One day, I looked in my fairy book, and I saw a letter from Char's knight.

_Char is extremely irritable and sullen these days. Yesterday he snapped at me simply because I had asked him when our next expedition would be. Char had never been like this before; he was usually patient and understanding. None of us know what has happened to him, but we'll wait for this phase to pass. We need that lass, Ella, here to ease him out of his temper. _

I felt guilty at the irony of his letter. _I_ was the cause of Char's pain, and even the pain of his knights.

I sighed. I just wished I never had this wretched curse to begin with. I headed down to the kitchen to help Mandy prepare lunch. On the way down, Hattie stopped me.

"Ella, dear," she said sweetly.

"Yes, Hattie?" I said dully.

"Char's coming back next month," she said. "And I'll need help from someone to make a dress that is perfect for me."

"Why would you need a dress?" I asked.

She smiled blissfuly. "I'm going to ask him to marry me. I heard that he had a girl in mind, and Mum convinced me that it was surely me."

"Alright," I said. I needed anything to keep my mind off of Char. Besides, I didn't think she had a chance. "I'll make a dress for you."

Hattie flounced back up to her room, and I entered the kitchen.

"Ella, would you mind getting me some carrots from the market?" Mandy asked, stopping from her work.

"Sure," I said.

"And some celery," she added.

"OK," I said, and I headed out. I grabbed my coat and some money on the way, and I headed outside.

Outside, I thought about what Hattie had told me. Char was coming back. This would be no difference to me. I would still be trapped in Mum Olga's house, cooking and cleaning for my whole life.

At the market, I searched for the shop that sold carrots, but it seemed to have disappeared. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my shoulder. I turned around, irritated. However, it was Sir Daniel.

"Sir Daniel!" I exclaimed. He was smiling his cocky smile that seemed somewhat reassuring today.

"Eleanor, what are you doing here?"

"Buying carrots," I answered a little too quickly.

"Oh, I see," he said.

"And you?" I asked.

"Oh, some business matters," he answered vaguely. Without thinking about it, we started off on a slow stroll.

As we talked, I noticed that his arrogant demeanor slowly disappeared. Instead, he became sincere and quite like someone I would have made friends with.

"So Sir Daniel-" I said.

"Call me Daniel," he interrupted. "It's strange for you always calling me that." I giggled.

"Daniel," I said, trying out the name. For some reason, it didn't seem to fit him, and I laughed again.

He looked somewhat insulted.

"What, do you think of me-as some old duke?"

I laughed. "Somewhat," I answered truthfully. He laughed at my frankness. Then, he turned serious.

"Eleanor," he said. "I came to your house a few months ago, to propose marriage to you,"

I nodded, unsure of where this was going.

"But," he continued. "I've decided to cancel that. I-" He stopped and hesitated. "I just want to be friends with you."

I was confused.

"But why?" I asked. I simply wanted to know what he was thinking.

He seemed uncertain of what to say.

"I've never felt this way about anyone," he said. "That I want to keep our relationship and don't want anything to harm it. Besides, I want to abide with your decision not to marry."

I said nothing. I had nothing to say.

He stared at me awkwardly.

"So...friends?" he asked.

"I'm really not sure," I said. "I'd better go find the carrots," I said, changing the conversation. It felt awkward hearing what Daniel had said. Before he could object, I rushed off.


	4. Unwell

Chapter 4

As I left Daniel, I felt guilt gnawing at me for making things so hard on him. He had been so kind as to drop his marriage proposal. However, I kept feeling a sort of annoyance. I tried to think of why I felt so irritated.

Then I thought of the reason. I was supposed to love Char. I was not supposed to be happy with someone else. That was the reason. I remembered how my heart jumped when I saw Daniel in the marketplace, and it wasn't right.

I strolled casually through the marketplace, thinking. So Daniel no longer wanted to marry me. That was fine with me. However, I wasn't so sure if I really wanted to be friends with him. He was kind, sometimes, yet he was still arrogant most of the time, which I didn't like. I sighed silently to myself. I couldn't be friends with him. I didn't need another relationship to get into.

Dropping the matter, I found a booth of carrots and celery, and I headed for home.

"I'm home!" I called out to Mandy as I opened the door to the manor.

"What took you so long?" Mandy inquired as I headed into the kitchen.

"Nothing-" I said, before I stopped. "Actually, I saw Sir Daniel at the marketplace," I admitted. Mandy opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it.

"Were you going to say something?" I asked.

"Ella," Mandy said seriously, not looking at me but continuing to scrub a carrot. "Is there something between you and Daniel?"

"No, not really," I said. "Why?" Mandy still didn't look at me.

"It's just that...I don't want you to spend any more time with him," she finally managed to say.

"But, why?" I repeated again, dumbly confused.

"Ella, there's something about him...He might hurt you.." she wavered off.

I didn't reply. I thought about it. Mandy was right. He seemed too dangerous.

"Ok," I replied softly.

"Sweet, will you be fine with that?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I told her. "There's nothing between us anyways."

Mandy sighed with relief. I was glad that I had reached a decision, but I didn't feel comfortable with it. We continued washing the vegetables silently, and I thought about Daniel. His handsome smile appeared in my mind. I silently scolded myself. I wasn't supposed to talk to him anymore. Or think about him.

"Hattie's calling you," Mandy said. I heard Hattie weakly calling my name from her room.

"Is something wrong with her?" I asked. I had never heard her speaking so softly.

"I don't know," Mandy said. "Why don't you go check on her?"

I dropped my apron and walked up the stairs. I knocked on Hattie's door.

"Come in," she croaked. I opened the door slowly, and instantly, the warm air from the room clouded me. Hattie sat on her bed, her face extremely pale. Though I hated Hattie, it hurt to look at her so weak. I rushed to her side.

"Hattie, is everything alright?" I asked worriedly. I touched her forehead. It was scorching hot.

"I don't know," she said. "I don't feel good. Ella, make me feel better."

I rushed into the kitchen and quickly grabbed a rag. I turned on the faucet.

"What's wrong with Hattie?" Mandy asked.

"She's sick," I explained hurriedly. "Her forehead is burning."

Back in her room, I placed the rag on her forehead.

"Just rest there," I said softly. I was confused of my actions. Why was I treating her so kindly after all the torture she had put me through in my life?

"Ah, that's cold," Hattie said, trying to remove the cloth.

"No, leave it there," I told her. "You probably have a fever." I continued to sit by Hattie's side as she sat in the bed blankly. Slowly, she drifted to sleep. A while later, Mandy came up with some soup. It was the same soup that she had fed to Mother and I. The soup that Mother had taken the unicorn tails out of.

"Hattie," I said, nudging her.

"Mmm?" she muttered, saliva spilling out of her mouth. Quickly, I spooned a bit of the soup into her mouth. Spoonful by spoonful, I fed her the soup. I noticed her skin color unnaturally grow more normal with each spoonful. I left the bowl by the table, and left Hattie to rest. I was sure she would be fine.

I quietly left her to rest, and went to my room. I passed by Mum Olga's and Olive's rooms, and I saw them in their rooms, reading peacefully. I felt a sort of pity for Hattie. She was extremely sick, yet she didn't have her mother or sister to care for her.

In my room, I collapsed on my bed. I was feeling extemely exhausted. Then, the matter with Daniel popped into my head. What if I saw him again? Should I talk to him? Or should I completely ignore him? I decided on the latter. It would be easier.

At dinnertime, Mum Olga and her daughters all sat at the dining table. Hattie was well. I felt relieved, for some reason. After dinner, Hattie beckoned me to her room. It wasn't an order, but I went anyways.

"Ella," she said. "Are you done with my dress?" I felt my blood rush to my face in anger.

"No," I said, keeping my voice level. "Unless you thought that I could finish it in a day."

Hattie pouted.

"But I wanted to see it!" she said.

"Well, I haven't made it, alright?" I said. I wanted to end the argument so I could go. There was no point arguing with Hattie.

"Ella, wait," she said as I was almost out of her room.

"What?" I snapped. She was looking down on her lap.

I turned back around.

"Wait!" she said. I turned around, irritated.

"Thyou," she mumbled.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Thank you," she said, a little more clearly. "For...for helping me. When I was sick."

I said nothing. I headed out the door. Did she really feel gratified? I thought about what she had said to me, as I walked to my room. In my room, I got out a large piece of pink velvet for Hattie's dress. I sliced out a large potion, mentally thinking of how big everything should be. I couldn't forget those words that Hattie had said. Even if they probably were the last time she would thank me.

The next morning, I woke up to a burning throat. I could barely swallow, and it felt as though there were needles sticking in my throat. I got up groggily from bed, and I felt the room spin around me.

"Mandy," I groggled. There was no reply. I got up again and headed downstairs. I had to grab onto the stairrail to keep my balance. Mandy was already in the kitchen.

"Mandy..." I whispered. By that time, my voice was gone.

"Oh my!" she said. "What are you doing out of bed? Go back to your room!" she commanded. I did as I was told, and sat in my bed. I fell back asleep again, and in my dream, I was in a bed of fire. My whole body was burning. However, I saw Daniel in my dream. Hewas pouring a bucket of ice on my forehead.

"Daniel," I moaned aloud, hoping he would stop. I woke up, my whole body was all a nightmare. What was it telling me? I reached out my hand to my bedstand to pick up my clock, and a wet cloth fell off of my forehead. The cloth was still cool. I heard soft footsteps outside of my room. I looked at my bedstand at the clock and saw a glass filled with juice. I picked it up, and there was a letter under it. The words in it were blurry. I opened up the letter, and saw a mess of letters. I stared at it, and slowly, my eyes focused.

_Ella,_

_It hurts to see you in so much pain. I 'm not supposed to be in your house. Mandy wouldn't let me come in. But I'm here anyways. That's all I'll say. Get well. _

_Daniel_

Daniel had been here? Had he heard me call out his name? I buried my face in my hands in embarrassment. He had probably heard me calling out his name. How did he even know that I was sick? However, my body wouldn't elt me stay awake, and darkness washed over me.


	5. Broken

Chapter 5

The next month was a frenzy of preparations as I made Hattie's dress. Hattie kept urging me to work more quickly on her dress, and I was forced to oblige. I pricked myself so many times that I came to get used to the pain. I came to become accustomed to the loneliness as I worked on the dress day and night, changing various parts of it over and over for Hattie.

On one sunny day, I sat on my bed, stitching floral designs into Hattie's dress. Father was due to come back home any time soon today, and he had ordered me to finish Hattie's dress before he had come back.

I thought of the miseries in my life. A feeling of anger ceasessly pulled at me, but I was too exhausted and too weak to cry out in anger.

The front door opened, and I heard Mandy and Olga rush out to meet Father.

I mindlessly continued on the stitching. After finshing a pink flower, I started on a yellow one, disregarding all that the Mistresses at Finishing School had taught me. Then, without being aware of it, I started to stitch in a green flower.

"I've never seen any green daisies," said someone by the door.

I looked up in surprise. Daniel was leaning against the doorframe, smiling arrogantly.

"Haven't seen you for a while, Eleanor," he said.

I deliberately turned away from him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Come on, I was just joking!" He said good-naturedly.

"What are you doing here?" I repeated.

"I came with your father," he said. I was unresponsive.

"Are you angry that i visited you when you were sick? Are you mad at me?" he aske.

I said nothing, trying to make it easier to ignore him.

He came to where I had been sitting and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Turn around," he urged. I bit my lip, trying hard not to. Weakly, I turned around and faced him.

"What's wrong?"

I didn't answer the question.

"Why won't you accept me?" he pleaded. "Why are you making it so hard on me?'

Then, I caught a glance of Hattie's dress. Char's smiling face and thoughtful grin appeared in my mind. Being unable to control it, all my misteries poured out through my eyes, as tears flowed out.

"I can't," I said. "There's...someone else."

"Who is it?" Daniel asked.

I sighed.

"It's over. He...despises me now," I said. "Though I wish he didn't. But every moment with you reminds me of him."

I looked over at Daniel and saw him commiserating with my misery. We both said nothing.

"I'm sorry," I said. "You don't have to be affected by my personal problems."

"So is he why you won't marry?" he said harshly.

I put another stitch into the daisy.

"Yes," I mumbled. "He is the only person I would ever consider marrying."

"You don't need to shape your whole life around him," he said coldly. "He's not the only man in the world. There are plenty better than him."

"I will love only him," I whispered.

I could feel Daniel stiffen.

"What is it about him that makes you so hopeless? Is he a king? A prince?"

I didn't answer the irony of it.

"It doesn't matter," I said.

"I didn't know you were capable of such strong feelings, Eleanor," he said.

"Daniel, I've thought about it," I said, starting to stitch another flower. "We can't have a relationship."

Daniel said nothing.

"Please leave," I said weakly, stabbing my needle into the cloth. A tear streamed out of my eye. I mindlessly stuck the needle in and out of the cloth, stitching messily. After several minutes, I looked behind me, and he was gone.

--

Several hours after Daniel had left, Hattie came into my room, demanding the dress.

I finished stitching one more bow, and pushed it to her.

"I'm done," I said. "Don't ask me to put anything more on it." Indeed, the dress was already so filled with flowers and ribbons that the original cloth was hardly to be seen.

Hattie held it in both of her hands, shrieking and twirling.

"Char will definitely propose to me after he sees me in this dress," she said. Then, she stopped. She inspected the dress more closely.

"What's this, a green daisy?"

I looked at it. I had forgotten to take out the green daisy. However, I did not have to will to fix it.

"Hattie," I said, fibbing. "Green daisies are fashionable this year."

She pouted. "No they aren't."

"You obviously haven't been very informed about this year's fashion trends, then." I said. "Believe me, it's true." I felt slightly guilty for lying to her, but my fingers were so weak that I could barely move them, let alone fix Hattie's dress."

"Well, anyways," she said. "I still look beautiful." She tossed a measly bronze coin on my bed.

"What's this?" I asked.

"I'm feeling generous," she said. "So I decided to pay you for your work."

"Thanks," I said dully. A bronze coin wasn't even enough to buy a stalk of lettuce. I headed down the stairs towards the kitchen. I was famished.

Father, Daniel, Dame Olga, and Olive were already sitting at the dining table eating.

"Ella, come join us," Father beckoned, to the empty seat next to him. There was a plate with the remains of a meal. Hattie had probably sat there.

"I didn't call you earlier because I didn't want to distract you from your work,"he continued.

I felt like crying out at the unfairness of everything. Then, my eye feel into contact with Daniel's. Our eyes locked for a moment. Then, he looked away. Holding my head up high, I went into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Mandy was busy with cleaning up pots and pans.

"Here, sweet," she said, spooning a savory spoonful of beef broth into my mouth. She handed me a whole bowl of it. WIthout a word, I took it

"Dear," she said. "You might not be happy to hear this, but Prince Charmont is coming to our house for dinner tomorrow night," she said hesitantly.

"Why?" I asked, my voice sounding uninterested.

"Hattie invited him over for dinner, and surprisingly, he agreed."

I nodded. I desperately wanted to see him, yet I knew I would be mourning all over again.


	6. Dinner

Chapter 5

Dinner

The day that Char was going to come over was a flurry of preparations. I spent the day cooking foods with Mandy as Hattie and Olive stayed inside their rooms, preparing their hair.

As I was mixing dough, Hattie entered the kitchen.

"How do I look?" she said, flouncing her hair.

"You look pretty, Hattie," I said, for the eighth time that day. Lying came second nature to me now.

Hattie pouted.

"Just pretty? I'm ravishing! Beautiful!"

"If everyone else were ogres," I said under my breath. Hattie didn't hear me. I finished kneading the dough a final time and put it into small lumps on the cooking pan. They would be baked into bread rolls.

I wiped my hands on my apron.

"We're all done," I informed Hattie. "I'll be leaving now."

Hattie ignored me and skipped back to her room.

Back in my room, I packed up some KJ's into a tiny sack, in case I was hungry. I didn't know where I was going to go yet.

Then a thought flicked into my mind. What if I did stay? I could at least catch a glimpse of him. I looked at myself in the mirror. He would never recognize me. I couldn't even recognize myself; I had aged considerably over several months. My cheekbones were hollowed, and my eyes were dull.

I pushed the thought away. I would break down if I actually stayed. I held the tiny sack in my hand and went out left my house.

As I left the house, a small piece of paper by the door caught my eye. I picked it up and scrutinized it for a moment. Then I stuck it into my pocket.

The sky was still bright, and there was a tint of dark blue settling in.

I walked several paces, breathing in the air. For a moment, my frustrations disappeared. Then, an order started pulling at me. I felt scared. No one had given me an order before I left. I grew fearful. Was the curse so powerful that I would have to follow an order than I hadn't even heard? Maybe Mandy had said something as I was leaving.

I stuck my hand into my pocket and felt something. It was the note. I took it out, and relaxed somewhat.

_Come to my manor._

_Daniel_

On it was an address. I felt relieved that I knew where the order had come from. However, I would have to follow it. The pain and dizziness was growing unbearable. As I looked for his manor, my head grew fainter and fainter. If I didn't find it soon, I was sure I would collapse.

Just then, I saw a large manor. It was probably Daniel's manor. Instantly, my symptoms stopped. I sighed in relief. Then I had an idea. I had already come to his manor, but I didn't have to go in.

I took several steps away, and my head started spinning again.

I growled in fury. I would have to go in.

Hesitantly, I walked up to it. From the outside, his manor was enormous. It looked at least five times the size of my manor, and my manor was already one of the largest in the country.

I walked up the gate in front of the manor and pushed it. It creaked open. I walked up to his door and knocked.

There was silence. Then, the door opened.

A well-dressed young man stood at the door.

"Hi," I stammered, intimidated by his crispness. "I'm here to see Daniel."

The man eyed me. "And who are you?"

"I'm Ella," I said. "Lady Eleanor of Frell."

"Wait a moment," he said, and headed into the manor. I heard his echoing steps. Several minutes later, he came back with a pink, fleecy robe in his arms.

"Please come in," he said formally, handing me the robe.

"Sir Daniel told me to bring this. He thought you might be cold."

"Thanks," I said. It was then that I realized how numb I was. I slipped the robe on over my dress, and I was enveloped with warmth. The material was extremely fine.

"Follow me," the man said. He led me to a large living room, richly furnished with persian rugs and victorian furniture. A fire was burning brightly. Daniel sat writing at the desk.

"I'll leave you here," the man said. Daniel looked up. A smile broke out on his face when he saw me.

"Ella!" he exclaimed getting up from his desk.

I smiled weakly. I wasn't really in the mood to see him.

"Have you eaten already?" he asked. I realized that I hadn't. I was starving, but I didn't dare to admit it.

"I'm not hungry," I fibbed. My stomach growled voraciously. I grimaced.

"You didn't hear that," I warned. He laughed.

"No, of course I didn't." I smiled at his good nature.

"Come have dinner with me," he said. "I haven't eaten yet. " I was about to refuse it, but my stomach growled again. Daniel suppressed a grin. He led me to his dining room. Along the way, we passed by at least fifteen bedrooms. And I knew there was more than that.

Though the table was enormous, we both sat down side by side. A butler came in, with the first course of food. It was fried trout stuffed with cheese. I took a bite out of it, and my mouth was filled with the heavenly taste of creamy cheese and soft fish.

"I'm delighted that you came today," Daniel said casually, but I could tell that he really meant it. There was then an awkward silence. The words I had said to him the previous day came crashing between us.

"Are you still mad at me?" I finally asked him. Daniel looked at me.

"About what?"

"Yesterday...what I said..."

Daniel sighed. "I was never mad," he said. "I'm sorry, I said those words yesterday in my frustration." He sounded genuine. "I'm not angry," he said softly. A strand of my hair was covering the side of my face, concealing me from Daniel. He reached up slowly and tucked it behind my ear. I felt my face flush.

" I shouldn't have told you about my problems yesterday" I said. "You needn't to be burdened by them. I'm really sorry."

A candle flickered between us.

"Whoever he is," Daniel said softly,"I hope you two can be together."

I trembled. Did he truly mean it?

"Why are you being so kind?" I asked him, my voice quaking.

"Is there anything so wrong with being kind?" he queried.

I shook my head. A tear flowed out of my eye. I had never felt someone care about me so deeply in a while. Daniel wiped my tear away.

"Tell me what's wrong," he said.

Though it was an order, I wasn't reluctant.

"His-" I started. I paused. "His name is-"

"No, don't tell me his name," Daniel continued. "Otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to contain my anger against him."

"He's at my manor right now," I continued. I saw Daniel's eyes fiercen slightly, but he said nothing.

"And?" he asked. I didn't want to tell him any more.

The next course came, and the fish was swept away.

"This corn is specially grown for me in my garden," he said, deliberately avoiding what I had just said. I knew he was doing that so I would feel better. I did.

I took a bite. The sweetness was just right.

We finished the rest of the meal, and then sat at the table, talking amicably. It made me feel better not to talk about Char.

The clock chimed eleven. I had been at Daniel's manor for 6 hours!

"I should go!" I exclaimed. Daniel got up.

"I'll walk you home," he offered.

"No, I'll be fine." I answered.

He walked me to the door. I started to take off the fleecy robe.

"No, keep it," Daniel told me. I was glad to.

Outside, it was completely dark. I could barely see, and I could not tell where to go.

"I'm walking you home," Daniel insisited. I silently gave in.

The cold wind bit at us as we walked along. However, I felt safe to have Daniel by my side.

I rubbed my hands together, trying to warm them. I felt as though my ands would freeze off. Daniel grabbed my hand. His hands were warm.

I looked at him in surprise.

"We don't want your hands to freeze off, do we?" he said.

We reached my manor shortly. We stood a distance from the door

"Will you come visit me again?" he asked. I didn't hesitate.

"Yes," I said. I had softened towards him. I trusted him now.

Daniel closed the space between us and embraced me in his arms.

"Good night," he comforted. Just then, a light shone from the manor. I looked up in surprise. The door to my manor had just opened, and Char was walking towards us. He peered into the darkness.

Then, I saw recognition in his eyes. I dropped my hands from Daniel's quickly.


	7. Char

Chapter 7

I tried to run away, but Daniel grabbed my arm.

Char came closer to us.

"Daniel?" Char exclaimed with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to accompany--" Daniel started to reply. Right then, I kicked him hard in the foot.

"I came to accompany...Marie," Daniel bluffed. Char looked at me.

"Oh? I never knew anyone named Marie lived here," Char replied with confusion. He turned his attention to me. I could feel my face heating up. Hopefully he couldn't see how red it was. I noticed that his face looked torn, as if he had gone through a lot. Suddenly there was recognition in his eyes.

"Ella? Ella, is it you?" he asked with uncertainty and hope. He grabbed onto me, but I pulled away.

"No," I said, trying to make my voice sound hoarse so he wouldn't recognize me. He kept his eyes on my face.

"You look just like Ella," he said slowly. Daniel was standing on the side, looking confused, but he tried to help me.

"Her name's Marie," Daniel said, defending me. "You're making her uncomfortable, Char!"

"Oh, I'm extremely sorry," said Char apologetically to me, but I could still see him looking at me.

"Is she your..girlfriend?" Char asked. Daniel glanced at me. I nodded to him.

"Yes," he said. I could tell that Char still had a lot to ask me. He didn't believe Daniel.

"What are you two doing here?" Char asked.

"I..uh...we're...," Daniel tried to think of an excuse.

"We were just taking a walk and happened to walk by," I fibbed. I knew it was not very believable that anyone would be taking a walk so late at night, but it was the only thing I could think of. Char looked skeptical.

"Well, I guess we'll be going now," said Daniel, pulling at me. "I'll see you later, Char!"

Char waved with uncertainty. "Hold on," he said to Daniel. Then he looked at me. He grabbed onto my hand. I didn't have the heart to pull it away.

"Are you really not Ella? Please, tell me the truth. I know you're Ella." The curse was pulling on me, and I desperately didn't want to lie to him. I didn't know what to do. But, for his sake, I couldn't let him know it was me. Otherwise, he would want to be with me.

"You don't have to tell him anything," Daniel told me. I was freed from the command. "Let's go." Before Char could say anything else, we quickly walked away. We walked far away from my manor before Daniel started speaking.

"So...the person you love is Char?" Daniel asked with disbelief. "The Prince? Charmont? He loves you?" I wondered why he kept calling him Char. Was Char his friend?

"I don't want to talk about it," I said. "Why did you take me so far away? I'm going back to my manor."

"Don't move," Daniel commanded. I hated my curse so much at the moment. "You love Char," he said.

"I don't have to tell you anything," I said, my voice shaking. "Please don't ask me these questions."

"I saw the way he looked at you," he said. "I've never seen him look so in love with anyone."

A tear flowed out of my eye. I didn't know why I wanted to keep it from him.

"Please let me go," I begged him.

"The Prince!" he said again with disbelief.

"Let me go," I pleaded again. Daniel looked hard at me.

"Go," he said. "Just go." Freed from the command, I immediately started running towards my manor. As I ran, I thought about all that happened. I realized that at Daniel's house, my feelings towards himl had changed so much. I really liked him so much now. He was so kind. But, there was Char, who I knew I could not let go.

I reached the manor and burst in. Hattie, Olive, and Mum Olga were still sitting at the dinner table. Hattie was still wearing the atrocious dress. I immediately ran into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" asked Mandy as soon as she saw me. "Where were you for all this time?"

"I saw Char on my way back," I told her, my voice cracking. "And I was spending my time with Daniel." Mandy stiffened.

"What did Daniel do to you?" she demanded.

"Nothing," I cried. I felt horrible inside for being so unreasonable to Daniel. He had just been trying to help me, yet I wouldn't let him. I did not want him to know about my relationship with Char, but I did not know why. Maybe it was because I didn't want to hurt Daniel again.

"I think I've hurt Daniel," I told Mandy. Mandy quickly came towards me.

"What happened tonight?" she demanded.

"Daniel knows that Char loves me," I admitted. Mandy looked bewildered.

"Why are you so upset about that?" she asked. I hesitated.

"I don't want to hurt Daniel," I said. " I really like him now." Mandy looked at me in surprise.

"You really like him?" she asked, with worry in her eyes. "Oh dear, your Father may actually succeed in getting you two to wed now."

"Well, I certainly don't despise him anymore," I said bleakly. "He treats me extremely well."

"Ella...you are actually willing to wed him?" she asked.

"No!" I said. "Never!" Mandy's eyes softened.

"I just want to be a good friend to him," I said. "Besides, Daniel dropped the marriage proposal a long time ago."

Mandy looked speechless for a moment.

"Well, as long as he's kind to you," Mandy finally sighed. "It _is _awfully kind for him to drop the proposal."

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. Who would be here at such a late hour?

I heard Hattie scampering from the table to answer the door.

"Charmont!" I heard her shriek. My insides turned.

"What are you doing here, my Majesty?" I heard her squeal.

"Is Marie here?" he asked politely.

"Marie?" asked Hattie, jealously. "Who's that?"

"Doesn't she live here?" Char asked.

"No one named Marie lives here!" Hattie said loudly. "Didn't you come here to look for me?"

"Marie doesn't live here?" Char asked again, helplessly.

"Nope," said Hattie. "Would you like to come in again? Was the time we had spent together just not enough?"

There was a silence, and I imagined that Char was trying to peer into the house. I hated my curse for making both of us so miserable.

"Well, I'm sorry for bothering you," Char said. "It was my mistake."

"Char, you can come in!" shrilled Hattie. I heard Char walk away, and Hattie slammed the door closed. I came out of the kitchen.

"Who is Marie?" she asked Mum Olga and Olive. They both shrugged.

"That was probably Charmont's excuse to come back and see me then," said Hattie smugly.

Up in my room, I looked at my journal. There was another journal entry from Char!

_Today, I went to Ella's household to dine with Madame Olga, Olive, and Hattie. I had insisted on not going, but Mother insisted that I go, saying that it was very impolite for the prince to reject a dinner invitation. I grudgingly obliged. I hoped that maybe Ella hadn't eloped, that she still lived at the manor. During dinner, I simply could not focus on what the conversation was about, as I kept looking towards the staircase, hoping Ella would suddenly come out, but she never appeared. But outside, I met a girl named Marie, who looked exactly like Ella. She had the same eyes and mouth. She was with Daniel. But I could see that they kept trying to get away from me. I am so worried about where Ella is. __ I am not angry at her. I have long since forgiven her. I just have remorse that I could not see her again._


	8. A New Meeting

Chapter 8

For the next several days, no one came to my manor, and I was glad of that. I didn't want to see anyone, since it would only remind me of the night I saw Char. Though Char thought I was a girl named Marie, I knew he wasn't so foolish as to think that forever.

I thought next of Daniel. I had enjoyed the time with him at his manor, and he had been sincerely kind to me. I sighed. He was no longer so arrogant or haughty to me, and I respected him for it. Yet, the only one I knew I could love was Char, even if Char could not marry me.

I spent the next several days alone, reading my fairy book or stitching mindlessly on pieces of cloth. I had no appetite, and no one but Mandy even cared.

One day, I sat alone at home. Mum Olga and her daughters had gone out to buy clothes, and they had brought Mandy with them to carry all of their purchases. All of the other servants had gone out for a break. Suddenly, someone rang the doorbell. I had no mood to go and greet whoever was at the door, so I remained on my bed. There was a silence after the first ring. I guessed that the person had left.

"I wonder who that was," I thought carelessly. I continued stitching the cloth. However, the doorbell started ringing again.

"Who is it?" I thought, with slight annoyance. I did not want to go downstairs and open the door. After a minute the doorbell stopped ringing, but I could still hear someone shuffling around outside the door.

I went downstairs cautiously and peered through the peephole. I was not dressed up, and I would not open the door. However, I could not see clearly. The peephole had been too fogged up by the morning mists. Then the doorbell rang again. I felt annoyed now.

I opened the door and gasped: Char was standing right in front of me. I saw his eyebrows go up with a look of surprise.

"Ella!.." he proclaimed. Then he stopped.

"Oh, I am extremely sorry, miss," he apologized. "You looked exactly like my friend, Ella. But I know your name is Marie." He was too polite.

"Is there anything you need?" I asked, lowering my voice a little. My heart thumped loudly. I couldn't let him find out that I was Ella.

"Yes," he answered. "Can I come in?"

"Please sit down," I said, gesturing to our living room. Char nodded, stepping in the manor.

"Please excuse me one moment," I said, as I rushed back to my room. Upstairs, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked hardly like I had used to, before I had become a servant to Dame Olga. I felt a little safer. Maybe Char would not recognize me.

I went back downstairs. My heart beat loudly when I saw him, and blood rushed to my head. I realized how much I loved him and how much I wanted him to know that I, Ella, had not eloped. However, for now, for his safety, I would have to continue pretending to be Marie, and I would have to pretend I was a servant at the manor.

"I'm back, Your Majesty," I said, smiling falsely. "Please excuse me for rushing off so suddenly. I needed to make myself presentable to the Prince."

He smiled at me.

"It's fine," he said. He came and sat down next to me. I stiffened. He could see my face even more closely now. Surely he would recognize me.

"I came to see you," he said.

"Yes?" I asked hesitantly.

He continued. "You look strangely like the maiden, Ella of Frell, who lives in this house."

I faked a laugh.

"Oh yes, I thought it was quite eerie that we looked so alike, too, when I first came to work here. Even Miss Ella thought it was quite amusing." Char kept his eyes on me.

"Do you know where she is now? Maybe I could find her and talk to her."

I shrugged.

"Miss Ella ran off quite a while ago with a rich old man. Quite a handsome dowry her father received too. She's going to live a prosperous life, I tell you. I quite envy her."

Char looked slightly hurt.

"Is that all you know, then?" he pleaded.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Your Majesty. But I had only come here a few days before Miss Ella ran off. I apologize that I don't have very much help to give." Char stood up.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, then." he said. "Thank you for telling me what you know."

"My pleasure," I answered. Together we walked to the door. I opened the door and saw Apple, my centaur, standing outside, feeding on some grass. I wished I could ride him like I used to. Suddenly, his ears perked up, and he looked around. Then he stared straight at me. He had smelled my scent. Quickly, he galloped toward me.

"Apple!" Char exclaimed, trying to catch him. However, Char lost his hold, and Apple ran to me, neighing loudly. He placed his head softly on my chest and prompted me to pet his mane.

"I'm so sorry, Madame," Char said, walking toward Apple. "Apple has never acted this way with strangers; he's usually very tame. In the past, he only acted like this with Ella, who-" He paused and stopped to look at me again. I looked at the floor, but he continued to stare intently at me. He had seen how happy Apple was to be next to me.

"You're Ella," he finally said. I could tell from his voice that he no longer believed I was Marie. He began walking toward me hesitantly, and when he saw that I did not move, he ran towards me. When he reached me, he grabbed me into a tight hug. Apple whinnied, wanting to be closer to me, but Char held me tightly in his arms.

"Excuse me, Majesty," I attempted to say, but he spoke first.

"Ella, don't continue to try to fool me." I had no heart to pull away from him. After several minutes, he finally pulled away from me. I didn't want his warmth to leave me.

He reached forward and pushed my hair out of my face. He held my chin in his hand, looking at me.

"I haven't been able to see you for six months," he said. "I've longed for the day I could finally see you again after my time in Ayorthia." He continued to look at me. I pushed his hand away.

"Please stop," I said softly. Char looked surprised.

"Why were you like this?" he asked. "Why were you trying to be someone you're not?" I said nothing. I had nothing to say.

"Do you know how painful it was, every single day, for six months, for me to believe that you had eloped with another man? Do you know how extremely helpless I felt?"

I said nothing. How could I explain anything to him? He looked at me in silence. Finally, he spoke again.

"I'm just glad to see you again," he said, " I had dreaded that I would never see you again."

He pulled me back into a hug. "Please don't ever leave me again," he whispered.

However, this time I pulled away from him. He looked at me strangely.

"Ella, what's wrong? "

I could see him hesitate.

"Ella, I love you," he finally said, "and not just as a friend." I stared at him blankly.

"Please, could you just say something to me? What are you thinking right now?"

I finally found my voice.

"Char," I finally said. I could see him smile.

"Char, I saw your marriage proposal." He looked joyful.

"But, " I said. " I will not marry you."

Char looked stunned.

"Wha-" he said. Then he looked embarrassed.

"If you didn't want to marry me, why didn't you just say so?" he pleaded. "Why did you have to pretend that you had eloped with an older man?"

"And if I had directly rejected your marriage proposal, you would be in less pain?" I challenged. Char said nothing.

"Ella, I'm sorry," he said finally. "I'm sorry that I kept pushing you with a marriage proposal. I should've known that it was too early for marriage."

I wanted to cry out. I wanted so dearly to marry him, but my wretched curse forbade me from doing so.

Suddenly, I heard voices from faraway. I could hear Mum Olga's shrill voice and Mandy's lower, calmer voice.

"Char, go," I said. "Mum Olga and Hattie are coming."

"And? Why shouldn't I say?" he queried.

"Please, go!" I pushed him.

He finally gave in. "OK. Then come ot my castle tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you." This was a command that I would have to follow.


End file.
